More than 100 people are expected to attend the NSW Regional Environment Conference at Bateman’s Bay this Saturday (May 22).
“The South Coast of NSW is one of the most stunning places in the world, with an astonishing variety forests, beaches and wetlands,” Nature Conservation Council Chief Executive Chris Gambian said.
“Sadly, the things people love about this region are being threatened on many fronts by logging, urban sprawl and climate change.
“Even though it has been almost 18 months since the Black Summer bushfires, the South Coast is still reeling from its impacts.
“The trauma of climate change is not an abstraction for people in this region – it is part of their lived experience.
“This week’s conference is a chance to take stock, reflect on what was lost, what was learned, and to regroup and find ways forward.”
The conference is open to everyone – attendees do not have to be a member of an existing group.
Highlights include a panel discussion, The Fires Changes Everything, with speakers from the Local Land Services, Rural fire Service, Griffith University, and Nature Conservation Council. There will also be workshops on a range of topics including:
- Using citizen science to trigger EPA protections for state forests
- Protecting the critically endangered swift parrot
- Saving Batemans Marine Sanctuaries
- The state of play of logging on the South Coast
- Threats to native forests at Manyana from housing development
- Electric vehicles and microgrids
- Management of weeds in post-fire landscapes
“We will also use the conference as a chance build on the vibrant conservation movement that already exists in the region by providing opportunities for these groups to collaborate more effectively,” Mr Gambian said.
NSW Nature Conservation Council Regional Conference
What: The Fires Changed Everything: Nature Conservation Council Regional Conference
When: 9am-5pm, May 22
Where: Bateman’s Bay Community Centre, Bateman’s Bay
Register: https://www.nature.org.au/about/governance/regional-conference-2021/